


Halo

by wakeupflawless



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Dirty Talk, F/M, Flirting, Nurse AU, Protective Rio, dean is a HUGE asshole in this one, mentions of domestic violence, mentions of sex with a minor, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:28:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25027735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wakeupflawless/pseuds/wakeupflawless
Summary: It's a normal night at the ER until it's not. When Beth saves a mysterious patient from a gunshot wound sparks fly.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 51
Kudos: 424





	Halo

**Author's Note:**

> I am by no means an expert in anything medical related, so if you are a healthcare professional I apologize in advance for my ignorance, lol.

It had been a busy night in the ER, a common occurrence for a Friday, the beds taken up mostly by men who had gotten in fights outside the bar or teenagers who needed to have their stomachs pumped. 

Beth barely had a chance to take a seat, and she was only halfway through her twelve-hour shift. She shifted on the balls of her feet as she read through the patient’s chart.

“Repeat customer,” she said warmly to the man lying handcuffed to the bed, his eye turning more purple by the second, “So Mr. Everett, can you tell me how the pain is on a scale of 1-10?”

“Fuck off, bitch,” Mr. Everett snarled, flexing his wrists against the restraints.

“Hmm,” Beth hummed with a serene smile, taking her stethoscope from around her neck, inserting the small ear tubes and pressing the chestpiece to the agitated patient’s skin. “Your lungs don’t have any fluid, but your breathing is very shallow. Looks like you might have fractured a few ribs. Our X-Rays are a bit backed up so you might be here a little longer.”

Beth gave him a sympathetic smile, to which he just snarled threateningly, but winced at the pain in his ribs.

“Can I get some fuckin’ morphine?” he growled.

“I’ll ask the doctor, okay, honey? Just sit tight.”

The patient’s brawling partner was right around the corner, similarly handcuffed to a bed but with less injuries. He looked pretty pleased with himself.

After placing Everett on a steady morphine drip Beth was finally able to take a seat for a moment. She sighed heavily, stretching her lower back. The ER was intense, no doubt about that, and sometimes she missed the calmer environment that was the pediatric ward. But after seeing too many children pass away from cancer and terminal illnesses, she had made the move downstairs, where she had a better chance of saving lives.

Not a minute passed before a deep voice shouted down the corridor.

“Got a bus headed our way with a gunshot wound. Two minutes out.”

The nurses and doctors scrambled, prepping an empty room in the trauma unit. Beth jumped to her feet and pulled on a fresh pair of gloves. She locked eyes with Nurse Peyton, and the older woman nodded at her, equally ready for battle.

Less than two minutes later a gaggle of EMTs burst through the doors, a bloody gurney in tow.

“Hispanic male, thirties, gunshot wound to the shoulder, no visible exit wound. Fading in and out of consciousness. Believed to be gang related.”

Beth ran alongside the EMTs, as the doctor shouted orders to nearby nurses.

“Hey sweetie,” she said soothingly to the patient, “My name is Beth, I’m a nurse. You’re at Detroit General, you’re going to be fine.”

The patient blinked up at her bemusedly, face pale and eyes impossibly dark. His breathing was shallow, and he let out a pained gasp, as if he wanted to say something.

“It’s okay, you’re gonna be alright.” Beth said.

“My- my son…” the patient gasped, trying to sit up, squeezing his eyes shut and wincing hard.

“Your son is fine,” Beth soothed, knowing nothing about his son’s situation, simply trying to calm him down. “You’ll see him again soon.”

This seemed to appease the patient, and he lay back with a groan.

“On my count,” Dr. Davis commanded as they rolled the patient to the hospital bed. “One, two, three.” Beth helped lift the man onto the new bed, grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting his shirt open. She didn’t miss the disapproving look on her co-nurse’s face as she took in the man’s large throat tattoo.

“His lungs are clear,” Beth informed the doctor, swinging the stethoscope back around her neck. “I need 2 milligrams of Demerol to bring down his pain.”

“Waiting on the tox screen,” Nurse Peyton cut in.

“What? Who ordered that?” Beth asked.

“I did,” Dr. Davis snapped. “Want to know what he’s on before we give him anything else.”

“What he’s on? Are you serious?”

“BP is 56 over palp but still steady,” Nurse Peyton said.

“Still low. Give me an EKG,” Dr. Davis demanded. “Can I get more hands in here stat? I want this wound cleaned. I can’t see shit. Grab me when it’s done. I’ll be in bay 2.”

“But wait! I think he needs-”

“Do as you’re told, Nurse.” Davis snapped before quickly striding away.

“He’s lost so much blood,” Beth breathed.

“Scary how the gang violence just keeps coming,” Nurse Peyton sighed, pursing her lips disapprovingly. Beth rolled her eyes.

“It’s okay, we’ll take good care of you,” she whispered to the patient, patting his hand before looking back to Nurse Peyton. “I’ll push the saline. Get me 4 bags of O-Neg. I need that right away please”

“Hold on that.”

“What are we waiting for?” Beth snapped, a bad feeling forming in her gut.

“His current blood type. O-Neg doesn’t flow from the sink, you know.” Nurse Peyton chided, voice patronizing. Beth grit her teeth.

Dr. Davis reappeared before Beth could respond to her co-nurse’s callousness.

“How’s he doing?” Dr. Davis asked shortly.

“He needs a transfusion,” Beth spoke up quickly, ignoring the disapproving look thrown her way. “We can push O Neg now and do a cross and type after we get the blood test results back,”

“Why waste it if we don’t have to?” Nurse Peyton replied coldly.

“If it’s used to save a patient it can’t be a waste,” Beth nearly growled.

“He’s stable. We can wait. Nurse Marks go see what’s taking so long for the MRI I ordered.” Dr. Davis said.

Beth turned to look at her patient, his eyes had fluttered shut, and his breathing was shallow. “I wonder if he were a different patient would he have to wait?” Beth snapped, spinning on her heel and storming out of the trauma unit.

Her blood boiled as she made her way to Imaging. In all her years as a nurse she had never been so incensed. Gang member or not, the man was a patient, just like everyone else in the hospital. Labels dropped as soon as they were wheeled through the front door. It was the job of the hospital to provide the best possible care, regardless of age, race or profession.

The technician at imaging confirmed that they were ready, and Beth raced back to the ER.

“MRI is ready, they can take him.”

“Cancel it,” Dr. Davis replied, “There’s no exit wound. Bullet is still inside.”

“I already requested a CT scan,” Nurse Peyton said.

“And the transfusion?” Beth asked desperately.

“No time,” Davis said, “Let’s wheel him down to Imaging.”

Suddenly, the patient cracked his eyes open, his dark orbs hazy from pain and blood loss. He looked at Beth pleadingly.

“And what about his pain?” Beth asked.

“His test got held up at the lab.” Nurse Peyton said with a casual shrug.

Something inside Beth snapped.

“That is not okay,” Beth cried, much to the shock of the doctor and nurse, “That is  _ not  _ okay and that is not the best we can do as healthcare professionals. I don’t care who this man is, or what he’s done. He is a patient in need of our care. And so help me God I have every intention of saving his life today. Now if he’s going to get that blood transfusion it needs to happen  _ now _ !”

Nurse Peyton glanced at the doctor, thoroughly bashful. Dr. Davis had the decency to look equally ashamed of himself. “Order the O-Neg blood for transfusion stat.”

Beth let out a sigh of relief. The patient was looking at her with grateful eyes, and she gave him a soft smile.

“Yes, doctor.”

xxx

“Hey there,” Beth said softly. The patient groaned as he opened his dark eyes, blinking up at the ceiling in confusion. “You’re at the hospital, just try and lie still. You’re okay. My name is-”

“Beth,” the man replied huskily, his voice cracking every so slightly.

“Yes,” Beth smiled, “I’m surprised you remember.”

“I remember everythin,” he said, his eyes shifting to meet hers, and Beth had to choke back a gasp at the expressiveness in his dark orbs, “You saved my life.”

“It wasn’t just me. There were others who helped,” Beth said, her cheeks flushing pink.

“Nah. You fought for me. You’re the reason I’m alive,” he rasped.

Beth cleared her throat awkwardly. Praise in the ER wasn’t too common, especially among nurses. Most patients gave credit to the doctors, even though the nurse’s played an equally important role.

“How’s your pain? On a scale of one to ten? And don’t try to be a macho guy about it,” Beth teased lightly.

“Honestly? It’s an eight,” he groaned, “Is the bullet still in me?”

“Yes, it’s lodged in there pretty good,” Beth sighed, “The doctor will be in soon to give you your options.”

“What are they?”

“You should really wait for the doctor-”

“Tell me, Elizabeth,” he said firmly. She could tell by this tone of voice that he was a man who was used to getting his way.

“No one calls me Elizabeth,” she said instead, laughing lightly. “And I never asked what your name is.”

“Christopher,” he replied. “But I go by my middle name. Rio.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Rio,” Beth smiled again, “I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“Hmm,” Rio hummed, eyeing her up and down. Beth suddenly felt self-conscious in her light blue scrubs, and she blushed pink. A man lying in a hospital gown should not be able to look so handsome, Beth decided. It was simply unfair. “When I’m outta here, we’ll meet again.”

“Oh yeah?” Beth teased. “You gonna take me for a long romantic walk on the beach?”

“I’d rather take you to bed,” Rio said without missing a beat, a smirk twisting into his handsome features.

“You talk a big game for a guy with a catheter in,” Beth said lightly, rolling her eyes. It wasn’t the first time a patient had flirted with her, but she couldn’t help but be charmed by this one’s confidence.

Rio sighed. “Just wait, darlin’. Now you gonna tell me my options or do I gotta wait for that racist-ass doc?”

Beth spluttered, opening her mouth to correct him, but snapping it shut at the seriousness in his dark orbs. She shifted uncomfortably, clearing her throat.

“You can live with the bullet inside you, and you’ll regain about seventy five percent function of your shoulder. Or you can decide to have surgery to remove it. Both options come with a lot of PT.” Beth explained.

“And what are the chances of this surgery workin?” Rio asked.

“There’s a seventy percent success rate,” she swallowed, “Most athletes choose to have it, especially baseball and football players. But if it goes wrong…”

“Well I ain’t plannin’ on goin’ to the NFL any time soon,”

Beth chuckled, but immediately felt guilty when she saw Rio shift in the bed and wince in pain. He had told her the pain was at an eight just minutes ago, and she hadn’t done anything to help diminish it except engage in conversation.

“I’m so sorry. Let me up your morphine,” she said quickly, fiddling with the bag attached to him intravenously.

“Thanks, darlin,” After a few minutes his lean body slackened against the pillows, his eyes beginning to glaze over, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Yeah, that’s the stuff right there.”

“Enjoy morphine-land,” Beth teased, “I’ll be back to check on you later.”

She patted his hand and turned to leave, but his voice stopped her from making another move. “Wait.”

“Yes?” she asked, stepping closer.

“I owe you,” he nearly slurred.

“I’m just doing my job. Why don’t you get some shut-eye?” Beth replied softly.

Rio hummed, and within seconds his eyes drooped shut and his breathing evened out. Beth smiled to herself and quietly closed the door.

xxx

Rio was a hellion of a patient, always teasing the crap out of Beth and the other nurses, getting up to walk around when he wasn’t supposed to. She’d just about had it with him, but couldn’t help but bring him extra chocolate pudding cups every day.

“We got some of the good stuff today,” Beth informed him with a grin, “The vanilla-chocolate swirl combo.”

“You’re an angel, mami,” Rio groaned, gratefully taking the pudding cup from her. He dug into it ravenously as if he hadn’t eaten in days, which Beth knew for a fact was not true.

“I don’t remember anyone liking the pudding this much, except for the kids in pediatrics.” Beth laughed, taking a seat next to him, sighing in relief to be off her feet for a few moments.

“My son fuckin’ loves these things,” Rio said casually, licking the remnants of the chocolate off his spoon. “I always steal a few bites.”

“You mentioned your son,” Beth started, clearing her throat, “when you first got here. Have you been able to talk to him?”

Rio observed her with his impossibly dark eyes, as if weighing his options on how he wanted to respond.

“Yeah,” he said finally, “Called his mom and got to talk to him.”

Beth’s smile faltered at the mention of his son’s mother. He had been in the hospital nearly a week after being shot and then recovering from his shoulder surgery, which had gone off without a hitch, thankfully, and he had been flirting with her shamelessly.

“I’m glad,” she settled on.

“Me and his mom ain’t together, if that’s what you’re wonderin,” he said with a smirk, as if reading her mind. “I still got every intention of takin’ you out, angel,”

“Oh, I wasn’t, um,” Beth stuttered, resisting the urge to bury her face in her hands from embarrassment. “That’s not necessary.”

“Right, right,” he drawled, eyeing her up and down in the way she had become familiar with. “I ain’t forget that I owe you. Anythin’ you need,” he said, suddenly becoming serious, “I mean  _ anythin _ ’,”

“I don’t need anything. But the hospital needs a new CT machine,” she joked, “I have patients that wait up to ten hours to get a scan.”

“And how much is one of those things?”

“Half a million dollars,” Beth laughed.

Rio had a glint in his eyes; the one that Beth came to know meant he was up to no good

“Uh oh, I know that look,” she warned.

“What look?” he asked innocently.

Beth scoffed, standing up and stretching out her back. “I have to get out on the floor. I’ll come by before my shift is over.”

Rio let out a long suffering sigh, rolling his eyes up toward the ceiling. “But I’m bored.”

“Did you finish that book I brought you?” Beth raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. It sucked.”

“What?” Beth nearly shrieked. “It’s a classic,”

“Well frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” Rio said with a wink, “I’m playin’ with you, mami. It was good. But that Scarlett lady was annoyin’ as hell.”

Beth scoffed. “When do you get discharged again?”

Rio just laughed.

xxx

Despite her jokes about Rio getting released, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness when she came into her shift Friday night and saw that he’d been discharged. His former bed was neatly made, crisp, white sheets waiting for the next inevitable patient.

“Are you on the night shift?”

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a fellow nurse approaching her from behind the desk. Beth hadn’t worked with her before, but recognized her from shift change-overs.

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“The patient who was in here left this, told me to give it back to you.”

The nurse held out the unmistakably thick book of  _ Gone with the Wind _ and Beth couldn’t help but blush.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the book gently.

“Looks like a page is marked for you,” the nurse said with a small wink, “Have a good shift.”

The book immediately fell open in Beth’s hands, and her eyes were drawn to a small highlighted portion.

__

_ You should be kissed and by someone who knows how. _

Beth snapped the book shut, eyes going wide. Glancing around to see if anyone could see her bright pink cheeks, she quickly stuffed the book in a drawer at her desk. 

The shift went by painfully slow, despite how busy they were. The hospital without her favorite patient just wasn’t as entertaining. Even the multiple stab wound victim was a dull procedure, and Beth was more than a little disappointed that Rio never took her number, but she pushed on through her shift, burying Rio into the back of her mind. 

At midnight the flowers arrived. 

“Late night delivery!” Thor, one of Beth’s co-nurses, called out, marching happily through the ER with a giant bouquet of white roses. Thor lived up to his name. He stood well over six-foot and sported an intimidating beard, but was actually a big softie with a heart of gold. “It’s for you, Beth.” 

“Huh?” Beth looked up bemusedly from a stack of discharge papers she had been working on. 

“It was left at the front desk,” Thor gushed, placing them down in front of her. “There’s a note attached!” He propped his chin on his hand, waiting impatiently for Beth to react. 

In messy cursive on the front of the envelope was her name.

_ Elizabeth _

Beth gulped, heat rising to her cheeks. Only one person had called her Elizabeth in the last ten years, and it wasn’t her mother. 

Hands shaking, she opened the letter, revealing a simple piece of notepad paper. 

_ Thank you angel.  _

_ Remember what I said  _

A phone number was scrawled on the bottom of the page. The note wasn’t signed, but she knew without a doubt who it was from. 

Beth was so caught up in the letter she didn’t notice the other, smaller piece of paper fall out of the envelope. Thor dove to grab it, letting out an audible gasp when he took it in.

“Holy shit,” he breathed. 

“What is it?” Beth asked, frowning.

“It’s a check. A fucking big one!” 

She snatched the check out of his hand and her heart nearly stopped as she took in the amount. It was five hundred thousand dollars made out to the hospital, and on the memo line, in the same familiar scrawl, stated  _ CT Machine _ . 

“No fucking way,” Beth gasped. 

A small crowd of nurses had gathered around the work station, gaping at the check in Beth’s hands. Excited chatter burst through the ER, and the check was passed around in disbelief, as if it was a gift from God himself. 

The CT machine arrived a week later, and it was all anyone could talk about. The ER administrator had nearly fainted when she saw the check. Everyone had taken bets to see if the check would cash. It did. Just as Beth knew it would. 

She took a picture of the new beauty, and with trembling hands she typed in Rio’s number, texting the photo to him. 

_ Not as beautiful as the flowers, but it will do! _

Beth stared at her phone with baited breath, biting her lip as the little text bubbles popped up on her iPhone, indicating that he was typing back. 

_ No more waiting 10 hours for a scan now _

A smile broke out on her face when she read his message. Then, another message popped up on her phone. 

_ This don’t count as a favor btw.  _

She angsted for over a minute before deciding on what to say. 

_ Of course not _

Beth pocketed her phone, hands still shaking. Who was Rio, really? 

xxx 

After extensive Google searches Beth still didn’t know any more about Rio than the day she met him. She kicked herself for not asking more about him while he was under her care, but she realized with a start that he always geared the conversation toward her, skillfully avoiding any probing questions. 

From his medical chart she got his age (32), his height (6’1”) and his weight (172 pounds) but those statistics did nothing to quench her curiosity. 

Disappointed, she closed her laptop and downed the contents of her wine glass. It was her day off, and instead of doing anything remotely productive she’d stayed in her pajamas and binge watched  _ The Great British Bake Off _ , then after a few glasses of Pinot she’d decided fuck it, let’s do some research on her mystery patient. 

A soft knock on the door interrupted her musings. Confused, she checked the time on her phone. It was nearing ten o’clock. Who would swing by so late? 

She tiptoed to the peephole and nearly groaned. It was her ex. For a moment Beth considered pretending that she wasn’t home, but the glowing lights of the foyer clearly suggested otherwise, as well as her car parked out front of the townhome.

Squaring her shoulders she opened the door, coming face to face with Dean. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d come by, puppy dog eyes and all. They’d broken up nearly six months ago after Beth discovered he’d been banging his father’s eighteen year old secretary at the car dealership,  _ for the last year _ , which made the girl seventeen for a portion of the affair. As if that wasn’t disgusting enough, when Beth confronted him about it he told her that “she acted older than her age”. 

So at 26 years old, after a decade of dating the same man, Beth gathered her remaining dignity and broke up with him. She walked out of their shared apartment and never looked back. And to think they were about to put in a bid on a house in the suburbs! 

Beth felt sorry for herself for about a week before deciding enough was enough, Dean didn’t deserve any more tears. She put in extra shifts at the hospital, moved into a (rented) townhouse, got a haircut (nothing drastic of course, just a trim. But she played with the idea of getting pink highlights for half a second) and bought new “date night” clothes. Not that she’d been on many dates since. 

All in all she’d been doing well. It was her first time alone and she realized she thrived. No cooking breakfast for Dean when she got home in the morning from her night shifts, no more washing his dirty clothes. Living alone was the best decision she’d made, besides becoming a nurse, of course. 

She jumped a little when the knocking became more persistent. He wasn’t a violent guy by nature, but there was one time he’d had a little too much to drink after work. Apparently his father had nearly bitten his head off at the office, and to add insult to injury he’d done it in front of several employees. (Now, Beth realized, it had most likely been in front of Amber as well) She’d spent her day off cooking a fabulous meal and cleaning the entire apartment. Naturally, when Dean came in late she’d let him have it. 

He was more surprised than her when the back of his hand connected with her cheek, the high school ring on his finger splitting her lip.

The anguished look in his eyes had Beth feeling sorry for  _ him _ instead of herself. He’d gotten down on his knees, wrapped his arms around her and cried into her stomach. 

Beth cringed at the memory of how weak she’d been. Despite her fat lip she stayed with him. It wasn’t until she found out about the cheating that she’d finally pulled the trigger. 

He’d never hit her again, but the warning bells going off in her ears pulled her back to reality when he spoke.

“Can we talk?” Dean said, head hanging pathetically, hands shoved in his jean pockets. 

“No, Dean. How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone?” Beth asked firmly. 

“I know you have every reason to hate me, but please, just give me a chance to explain myself,” he pleaded, finally looking up to meet her eyes. 

“There’s nothing to explain,” Beth nearly cried, “You slept with a teenager. Which, by the way, is  _ illegal _ . You…” she lowered her voice, glancing around the quiet street, “you technically raped her.” 

Dean gaped, mouth opening and closing like a floundering fish out of water. 

“It wasn’t like that!” he sputtered. “She wanted it too.”

He seemed to realize his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth, cheeks turning an unfortunate shade of red. Beth couldn’t help but roll her eyes, quietly thanking the heavens that she’d dodged this bullet. 

“Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? Just go. You’re embarrassing yourself.” Beth slapped her hand on the door, ready to close it in his face. She got halfway before Dean’s hand shot out. 

“No, wait,” he pleaded, trying to pry the door open. “Beth, I love you.” 

Beth was about to explode from frustration, taking a deep breath she looked him dead in the eye. “Fuck off, Dean.” 

Dean’s hand fumbled on the door from shock, giving Beth enough leverage to slam it. 

She double locked the front and back door, as well as all the windows, before falling into a troubled sleep. 

That night wasn’t the end of Dean’s escapades. After the third time of him showing up in two weeks she called the police, requesting a restraining order, but after hanging up with the station she felt more defeated than before she’d called. 

According to the officer she needed to prove, in front of a judge, that Dean had a history of violence against her, and since she never documented or filed a police report the one time he’d hit her, and his visits to her house weren’t done in a threatening manner, it was unlikely the judge would rule in her favor.

She eyed her text thread with Rio during her shift break. They’d texted on and off for the past month, but despite his promise to take her out, it hadn’t come to pass. Beth tried not to take it personally, he was recovering from a gunshot wound, after all. 

On her next night off she was getting ready for bed when there was a loud knock on her door. She nearly cried in frustration, slamming down her face cream and grabbing a robe, ready to give Dean a piece of her mind. 

Beth was halfway down the stairs when the shouting started. 

“Let me in, Beth,” 

She paused, hand on the railing. His tone of voice was different - aggressive and slightly slurred. Beth knew him well enough to know that he’d been drinking.  _ Well,  _ she thought dryly,  _ this changes things _ . 

Going quiet, she waited with baited breath, hoping he would go away, but his persistent pounding indicated that he wasn’t leaving any time soon. 

“ _ Open the fucking door _ ,” 

Beth jumped, blood running cold, his knocking so loud on the door she was afraid he might knock it down. Both locks were bolted, but that was the extent of her home security system. 

“I know you’re here, you bitch!” 

That’s when she started shaking, quietly making her way to the bedroom to grab her phone off the charger. She considered calling the police, but after her phone call with them she doubted they would be much help. 

“Fuck,” she whispered, scrolling through her contacts, deciding who best to call. Rio’s words swirled in her head.  _ Anythin’ you need, I mean anythin’.  _ She gulped. It was obvious he was in gang, that he was wealthy. Maybe he could come over, scare Dean off for good? 

He picked up in the second ring. 

“Need that favor, Elizabeth?” he drawled, and Beth was surprised at how much she missed the sound of his husky voice. 

“Um, yeah, actually,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Are you free? Sorry it’s late, so if you’re not…”

“Been waitin’ for this call.” And, God, he sounded  _ smug _ . Beth nearly scoffed, offended that he’d think she was inviting him over for a booty-call. 

“Not that kind of call,” she hissed. 

“Oh?” Rio actually sounded even more interested, “Then what is it, darlin?” 

She sighed, weighing her words carefully. 

“I kind of have a problem,” she winced at the continuous pounding on her front door, “And I was wondering if you could help me out?” 

“Gotta tell me the problem,” he replied calmly. 

“So, my ex keeps showing up at my house. I guess you could say he’s stalking me. I called the police to file a restraining order and they weren’t helpful at all,” she paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, “And he’s here now and he’s wasted, banging on my door. I just need him to leave me alone.” 

Rio was silent on the end of the line, and Beth sucked in a breath. Was she judging him like the other nurses and doctors had that night in the hospital? Maybe his tattoos weren’t gang related at all, maybe he was just a normal guy with a shitload of money. She was about to tell him nevermind, that she was sorry for assuming, but then he spoke. 

“Where do you live?” he asked lowly. 

She recited her address, letting out the breath she was holding. “When can you get here?” 

“Ten minutes,” he replied shortly, and she could hear a car door slam and an engine start up. “You got a gun?” 

“What?” she sputtered, “No of course not,” 

“Pepper spray?” he asked. 

“Yes,” 

“Good. Get it. Make sure everythin’ is locked. Don’t go near the front door,” 

“Okay, okay,” she breathed, feeling immensely better that he was on his way. 

Dean’s voice boomed through the thin walls of the house as Beth peaked around the stairwell. 

“That him?” Rio questioned, his voice gravelly. 

“Yeah,” Beth said with a short laugh, “He’s nothing if not persistent,” 

“He ever hit you?” She paused, considering how to answer, but her silence was all Rio needed to know. “Fuck,” he snarled. 

“It was one time,” she said quickly, soothingly, “It never happened again.” 

“I’ll be there soon, yeah? Just stay put.” 

The line clicked dead and she took a few shaky breaths, hiding in the confines of her bedroom. Never in a million years would she think of her past relationship as abusive, but now, with Dean hammering away at her front door, calling her all sorts of threatening names, she realized just how toxic the relationship was. There was the time he hit her, yes, but the emotional abuse was ever present. If she messed up dinner, or if the house wasn’t clean, he’d make all sorts of passive aggressive comments. He questioned her skills as a medical professional, spouting that once they got married she’d have to stop working. If she was too tired for sex, he would give her the cold shoulder until she relented. 

Now, she was more pissed than scared, and was ready to fling open the door and give him a piece of her mind, but the logical side of her brain warned her to stay away, to let Rio come and handle it. 

Her ears perked up when she heard another car pull up, tip-toeing down the stairs she peaked through the front window to see a tall figure approaching. 

“Yo,” Rio called out, and Dean stumbled, turning around to face him. 

“Who are you?” Dean shouted. 

“Neighborhood watch,” Rio replied easily, mouth quirking. Beth nearly rolled her eyes. Did he have to always crack jokes? Even in the middle of serious situations? 

“Huh?” Dean asked dumbly. 

“Heard there was a drunken dumbass causing a scene,” Rio said with a smirk. 

“There’s no problem here, man. Go away,” Dean puffed out his chest in a way he must have thought was intimidating. 

“Except I do gotta problem,” Rio said, his voice turning from lighthearted to serious within seconds, “You need to get the fuck outta here,” 

Dean scoffed, lumbering towards Rio, meeting him halfway down the walkway. Rio was the picture of cool, hands in his pockets, stance casual. 

“This is my girl’s house,” Dean said. “She wants me here.” 

“I don’t think she does. Cuz she just invited me over,” Rio said, baring his teeth. 

Rio must have expected the swing thrown his way, because he ducked easily, using his low position to punch Dean in the gut, causing the larger man to lose his breath and nearly topple over. Dean groaned low, hands protecting his stomach, unable to stop the punch thrown at his face. The headshot caused him to sprawl to the ground, blood spewing from his mouth. Beth gasped, flinging open the door and taking a step out. 

Dean was rolling on the ground, moaning in pain. Beth couldn’t say she felt sorry for him, but she didn’t want Rio to go overboard. 

“Hey, angel,” Rio called out, causing Dean to turn his head toward Beth. 

“Beth,” he gasped, “Who is this guy?” 

“Nah, see, you don’t get to speak to her,” Rio said, crouching down next to him, “Don’t even look at her. You like hittin’ women huh? Make you feel like a man?” 

“I’d never hurt her,” Dean gasped. 

“You did,” Beth said, taking another step closer. “And I never want to see you again.” 

“But, Beth-” Dean was cut off by another punch to the face. 

Rio stood up to his full height, intimidating as ever in all black, his throat tattoo flexing menacingly in the moonlight. He reached into the back of his jeans, pulling out a shiny, golden gun. It hung lazily by his side, and Rio looked up to meet Beth’s eyes. 

“Say the word, Elizabeth. And he won’t bother you no more.” Rio said casually, as if discussing the weather. Dean’s bloody face had gone ever more pale at the sight of the gun, and he looked at Beth pleadingly, eyes glossing over with fear. 

“No,” Beth whispered, clearing her throat, “No.” She said again, this time voice firm. She took a few steps closer, the chilly breeze making goosebumps erupt over her skin. “But I swear to God, Dean, if you don’t leave me alone I’ll tell him to do it.” Her words came out firm, even though she didn’t believe herself, but the look in Dean’s eyes told her that he did. 

“I’ll leave you alone,” Dean gasped, “I swear!” 

“Good talk,” Rio said, trademark smile back in place. He stuffed the gun in the back of his pants, and jerked his head at Dean. “Get.” 

Dean scrambled to his feet, running to this car and peeling away down the street, leaving Rio and Beth alone in her front yard. 

Rio regarded Beth quietly, clearly waiting for her to speak first. 

“You brought a gun,” she said finally, wincing at how naive she sounded. 

“Yeah,” 

“Do you want to… come in?” 

“Yeah,” 

As Beth turned to walk back into the house, she had to admit she was shaken up. The sight of Rio holding the gun so casually, beating up her ex, as if he did it all the time, unsettled her, but it also made her…. Excited. In a weird way. 

She held the door open for him, trying not to look so stiff as he entered her small foyer. He looked around her small townhome, expression unreadable. Beth bit her lip, she loved her little house, but watching Rio take it all in made her uneasy. He was the first man to step foot in the house, she’d never let Dean go beyond the front stoop. Even every date she’d been on had ended with the guy driving off after an unsuccessful attempt to take her to bed.

“So,” she said, clearing her throat, “This is my house.” 

His lips twitched, betraying his amusement. “I see that.” 

“Your shoulder healed nicely. Out of the cast.” 

God, did she  _ have  _ to be so awkward? Now that Rio was out of the hospital bed and in her house, looking handsome as sin, she struggled to find something to say. 

“Had a hot nurse wrap me up good,” he said, eyes dancing with mirth, and Beth immediately relaxed as they entered familiar territory. 

“Is that so?” she teased. 

“Mhm. I owe her.” 

“Consider your debt paid,” she replied with a smile. 

“It ain’t,” he replied casually, matching her smile. 

“Come on, how many favors do you owe me?” Beth asked, laughing lightly. 

“How much is my life worth?” Rio replied, tone serious, and Beth swallowed heavily.

“I told you, it wasn’t just-”

He cut her off with a kiss, taking the back of her neck with his big hand and tugging her into him. Beth’s brain scrambled, and before she could react properly he was pulling away. 

“Been wantin’ to do that,” he said huskily, Beth blinked at him, any words she’d been planning to say dying in her throat. She wanted to say she’d been waiting to do that, too, but couldn’t bring herself to make a sound. “Call me if you need anythin’ else, yeah?” He knocked her chin lightly with his thumb, moving around her to leave. 

Her arm shot out involuntarily, grabbing his bicep. Rio turned, eyes curious but face like stone. Taking a deep breath she shoved him against the door, fisting her hands in his hoodie and crashing her lips to his. He kissed her back just as enthusiastically, hands grabbing the small of her back. 

She lost control when he bent his knees, gripping the backs of her thighs and hoisting her up around his hips. Beth bucked against him needily, moaning when his tongue slipped into her mouth. 

“Upstairs,” she gasped, clinging to him like a koala. 

He made his way up the stairs easily, despite Beth wrapped around him. She bounced on the bed when he set her down, and she watched greedily as he pulled off his hoodie and t-shirt. His lean abs rippled with the movement. Obviously, she’d seen his body while treating his gunshot wound, but that was purely out of medical necessity. Seeing him half naked, pupils blown, standing in front of her in her bedroom was an entirely different experience. 

She watched, mouth going dry when he took his gun out of the waistband of his pants, setting it down on her nightstand as if it was the most casual act in the world. 

“Take your robe off,” he commanded, his low voice shooting through her core and she did as he asked, untying the material with shaking fingers and shrugging it off. 

Now she was only dressed in her tiny sleep shorts and tank top, sans bra, and her nipples immediately hardened from the cool air seeping through the bottom of the bedroom window. His eyes were immediately drawn to her chest, and feeling emboldened by her previous actions, she slowly stripped off the tank. 

He pounced, mouth descending on her hard nipples, sucking each one greedily. Her breasts had always been sensitive, and wetness pooled in her panties. His beard scratched against her skin which only served to heighten her arousal. 

Once satisfied with his attention to her nipples, he crawled off her, grabbing her ankles and yanking her to the bottom of the bed, making her yelp. He smiled darkly as he knelt in front of her on the floor, fingering the waistband of her shorts, and in one swift movement he pulled both her bottoms and panties off. 

He teasingly ran one long finger up her wet slit, stopping as he reached her clit, circling it lightly. 

“Your pussy is so wet already,” he observed and Beth nearly hid her face in embarrassment. Dean had never been into dirty talk. The most she heard him say during sex were a few choice curse words before spilling into her. But Rio, she quickly found out, loved to talk. “Bet you’re tight,” he said, dipping a finger inside her. “Yeah,” he growled. “Gonna let me eat you, angel?” 

Beth was nodding enthusiastically before she knew it. “Please,” she whimpered. 

He smirked at her before diving in, licking and sucking like she was his last meal on earth. “Holy shit,” she whimpered, unused to the new pleasures Rio was introducing her to. Dean had tried going down on her a few times, and she’d pretended to enjoy it as not to bruise his ego. But this was different. She could feel herself climbing to a peak with each skillful flick of his tongue. Her hips involuntarily bucked off the bed, and his hands were there immediately pressing them firmly into the mattress. 

“I...I…” she stammered, head thrown back against the sheets, fingers clenching. 

“Taste so fuckin’ good,” he growled into her.

“Please,” she whimpered again. 

“Your little pussy gonna come on my tongue? Hmm?” he teased, sucking hard on her clit and watching her from her between her legs. 

“Yes,” she cried, toppling over the edge. “Oh, God,” 

He licked at her until she pushed his head away, her center quivering from the intensity of her orgasm. She lay back, chest heaving, cheeks pinkening as she watched Rio wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. 

He crawled over her on all fours, caging her into the mattress and kissing her deeply. 

“How do you want me to fuck you?” he asked lowly, “Want it from the back? Wanna ride my cock?” 

Still not immune to his dirty talk, she squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. She experimentally reached between them and cupped him through his jeans, heart beating fast when she felt how big he was. Dean had been her first (and so far) her last, and she cursed her inexperience. 

“Can I be on top?” she whispered. 

“Yeah,” he agreed easily, pulling her up farther onto the bed and flipping them over, “Wanna see these tits bounce.” 

Beth burned at his words, fumbling with his jeans. He helped her push them down along with his boxers, and she eyed his cock with a gulp as he rolled on a condom. It was long and thick, and it would definitely take some getting used to. He seemed to understand her internal dialogue and reached between them, slipping his fingers into her wet heat. After riding his three fingers for a moment, she settled over his length, easing down inch by inch. 

He held her thighs tightly, face twisting when he was completely sheathed inside her. She had never felt so full, and her pussy felt as stretched as it could go. Without realizing the agony Rio was in, she bit her lip, shifting around experimentally, unable to decide if the burn was pleasurable or painful. 

“Fuck, baby,” he groaned. 

“Sorry,” she gasped, “I just need-”

“Take your time,” he managed to bite out and she had never felt so embarrassed. She wasn’t a virgin on prom night, but here she was, sitting on top of Rio’s cock, utterly shocked by how much he filled her up. “It’s okay,” he assured her, and she nodded down at him. 

Finally, she began to move, raising herself up and down on his length, gasping as sparks of pleasure began to fly through her body. She moved faster and faster, adjusting to the size of him with each thrust, and eager for her next orgasm. He reached around, slapping her ass a few times, and she was surprised by how much she liked the pain mixed with the pleasure. 

“You like it when I spank you?” he asked, accentuating his words with another hard slap. 

“Yes,” she moaned, riding him desperately. 

“Never been fucked right have you?” And it was honestly unfair how steady his voice was when Beth was a shaking, aroused mess on top of him. He let out a chuckle at her heightening moans. “I got you, baby.” 

His hips slapped up to meet hers, and with a few skilled swirls of his fingers she was coming again. Her orgasm was obvious as her center pulsed around him greedily, and he took her momentary high to flip them over. He pounded into her with abandon, chasing his own orgasm. He came within moments, gasping her name into her neck. 

They both groaned when he pulled out. Beth’s entire body felt boneless, and she barely registered him moving off the bed to dispose of the condom. 

When he came back into bed she cuddled against his chest, lightly tracing the scar from where the bullet had entered his shoulder. 

She wasn’t sure what the protocol was when sleeping with a new person. Did they sleep over? Was she supposed to ask him to leave? Or was it Rio that would make his own exit? 

The entire night had been full of surprises, so Beth decided that the typical post-sex etiquette was completely thrown out the window, anyway. 

“Do you wanna sleep over?” she asked, peering up at him. “You’d be doing me a favor,” she added teasingly. 

“Then how could I say no?” he replied, kissing the top of her head. 

She snuggled into him, eyes drooping. There would be plenty of time to interrogate him about his personal life in the morning. 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts or if you're interested in a part 2 with more "favors"!


End file.
